Lost treasures in your attic? Winnipeg Art Gallery can help you find out
Think grandma's old vase might be worth something? Or maybe that oil painting under a tarp in the attic? The Winnipeg Art Gallery is giving you the chance to find out.
The WAG opens its doors for an appraisal weekend with Bonhams auction house on Nov. 15 and 16.
"The visual art world has captured public attention frequently over the years when a seemingly worthless old painting from a garage sale or a dusty attic is taken for valuation and discovered to be a lost masterpiece worth millions," stated a release from the WAG.
Items that will be appraised include jewellery, paintings, prints, sculptures, porcelain, silver, pottery, glassware, books, maps, furniture, and other antiques. Items not eligible for appraisal are coins, bank notes, stamps, toys, musical instruments, or militaria.
For items too large to transport to the gallery, participants can opt to bring in photographs provided they are of sufficient clarity and detail.
Established in England in 1793, Bonhams is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It is one of a very few top-tier fine art auction houses in the world, and is among the most respected and trusted brands in the industry, according to the WAG.
With major salesrooms in London, New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Los Angeles, Bonhams conducts some 400 annual sales through its 60 specialist departments.
Doors will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with tea and coffee available.
Cost of each appraisal is $20 with a limit of four pieces per person. Funds raised will support the growth and preservation of the WAG’s permanent collection.
Registration is required. To reserve your spot, visit the WAG's website.
The public is welcome to bring their items or just come to watch. Prizes of admission tickets to the WAG's current exhibits — Masterworks from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and Dalí Up Close — will be given away.
Those getting appraisals can enter to win a trip for two from Winnipeg to Churchill on VIA Rail.